


Don't You Worry Child

by imthehotgirl



Series: Damaged Not Broken [3]
Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Femslash, M/M, Mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-04
Updated: 2016-06-04
Packaged: 2018-07-12 05:45:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7087621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imthehotgirl/pseuds/imthehotgirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jared and Jensen are still fighting their attraction for one another (Jensen especially) while the Js' daughter Aly gets together with her girlfriend Ashley.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the second timestamp in my Damaged Not Broken 'verse. Enjoy! :)

Maryvale, Texas  
Fall 2009

Jared Padalecki rolled out of bed early one Sunday morning, grabbing the tattered shoebox he had stashed underneath it. Carefully pulling the lid off of the box, he smiled softly to himself as he took out one of his favorite articles from the Maryvale Gazette that Jensen Ackles had written a few weeks ago.

Ever since he and Jensen had first hooked up during the spring of their Senior year at Maryvale High, Jared had been collecting the articles Jensen wrote. He considered it his way of staying close to the other man, and it helped him deal with the feelings he was harboring for Jensen.

He looked up from the article he was re-reading when his friend and roommate Mike Rosenbaum slapped his hand against the doorjamb in an attempt to get his attention.

“Hey, man. Chad and I are ready to go whenever you are,” he said, referring to the one-on-one basketball game the three of them played at Maryvale Elementary every Sunday. Nobody actually kept score. It was just a way for them to get out of their apartment and spend time together away from work. And it was also something they’d been doing since they were in high school.

Jared hated thinking about the guy he’d been in high school, but it hadn’t been all bad. If it hadn’t been for his time spent at Maryvale High he wouldn’t have this giant, potentially embarrassing, unrequited crush on Jensen Ackles.

Mike nodded in the direction of the open shoebox at the foot of Jared’s bed.

“Jared, what’s in there?” he asked, raising an eyebrow in Jared’s direction.

Jared ducked his head, hair falling into his face as a faint laugh escaped him.

“Nothing important. Just a bunch of crap from high school,” he replied before putting the lid back on the box, shoving it back under his bed and meeting Mike’s gaze, hoping his friend couldn’t detect the lie in his voice. In reality the articles in that box were important to him. Jared just hoped that one day he’d have more to show for it other than a few scattered memories and a feeling of sentimentality.

Sighing heavily, he gave his friend a forced smile. “I’ll be ready in a few minutes, Mike.”

After Mike left him alone, Jared lay back on his bed, staring up at his bedroom ceiling unable to shake that feeling he’d had when he was a teenager of wondering when his life was going to change. And then, being more adult then he’d been roughly twenty years earlier, he felt the scary realization of knowing that if he wanted his life to change he’d have to be the one to do something about it, overwhelm him.

Change was scary as hell. There was no denying that. But Jared knew that if he didn’t face that change head-on he’d end up missing out on something great. Like having Jensen become a permanent part of his life.

~*~

Maryvale, Texas  
Fall 2009

Jensen Ackles stood in front of his bathroom mirror, smiling as he felt his fiancé, Tom Welling come up behind him and wrap his arms around Jensen’s lower body, burying his face against the crook of Jensen’s neck for a moment. Jensen stared at the ring Tom had put on his ring finger the night before. The smile on his face grew even wider as he thought about the stable future Tom would be able to provide for the two of them and Jensen’s fourteen year old daughter, Aly.

“G’mornin’, baby. How you feelin’ this mornin’?” Tom murmured, the smile that was on his face reflecting Jensen’s.

“Did we really get engaged last night?” Jensen whispered, his eyes lighting up as he spoke to his fiancé.

“Yeah, we did,” Tom replied, chuckling as his lips brushed against Jensen’s.

Jensen pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. They broke apart when they heard Aly knock on the door. Jensen gave Tom a small smile as his fiancé kissed his forehead.

He opened the door, slowly leading Tom out into the hallway. His eyes drifted first to Aly then back to Tom. As hard as he tried, he couldn’t explain away nor shake the sudden bout of nerves that overwhelmed him.

“What’d you need, sweetheart?” Jensen asked her. Aly’s eyes quickly darted to Tom before returning her focus to her father. She flashed a forced smile.

“Oh, um, I kinda wanted to talk about something just the two of us. That is, if Tom doesn’t mind?” she replied, swallowing hard.

“No, I don’t mind, Aly. Actually, I should probably get going. I’ll see you tonight, Jen,” Tom said, pressing his mouth against Jensen’s.

Once Tom had left, Jensen returned his attention to his daughter. Aly stood in front of him twirling a lock of her hair around her finger, chewing nervously on her bottom lip.

“So, uh, Tom proposed, huh? That…that’s great, Daddy,” she said, flashing him a strained smile, pulling him into a hug after she saw the ring.

“Really? Then how come you don’t seem more excited?” Jensen demanded softly, raising an eyebrow in her direction.

Aly averted her gaze, swallowing visibly again. She took a hold of his hand and led him into her bedroom. They sat down on her bed before she finally looked at him again.

“Why…why won’t you tell me anymore about my other father?” Aly asked tentatively, real fear in her eyes as she asked her question. Jensen had told her years ago that instead of a mommy and a daddy or two mommies she had two daddies. And since she’d been so young at the time she’d just blindly accepted that information.

Jensen swallowed thickly, struggling to remain calm in the face of abject fear. He’d put everything that reminded him of Jared behind him and with a few simple words all the time they’d spent together at Maryvale High came flooding back in a rush.

Swallowing hard again, he clasped at his trembling hands, willing them to stop shaking as he tried to remain focused on the reason he’d put everything with Jared behind him in the first place.

“There’s nothing to tell, Aly. We got together for one drunken, stupid night. The only good thing about it is that I have you. And that’s all that matters. I don’t even really remember him, sweetie,” he told her, immediately cringing away from the thought of LIAR that popped into his head at his words. 

“Oh,” Aly replied sadly, her disappointment palpable.

“You should get ready for school, baby girl,” Jensen finally said.

“Oh, yeah, right. Jesus, I’m gonna be late,” Aly groaned, immediately hopping off her bed and roughly pulling open her dresser drawers.

“Don’t swear,” Jensen admonished softly, his eyes dancing in amusement. “I can give you a ride on my way to work,” he said.

“Sorry, Daddy,” Aly replied, giving him a weak smile. “But yeah? You can give me a ride?” she asked hopefully.

“Yeah. You’ve got ten minutes,” Jensen said, chuckling as his daughter hurried around her room, grabbing the necessary clothes before rushing into the bathroom and slamming the door behind her in her haste to get ready in time.

~*~

Maryvale, Texas  
Fall 2009

A few days later Jared found himself sitting outside in his car across the street from Jensen’s house. With his hands hanging loosely on the steering wheel in front of him, Jared watched as Jensen left his house and greeted another man, who was obviously his boyfriend, in the driveway.

Jared turned away from the scene for a moment as Jensen and this other guy proceeded to kiss one another. He knew he had no claim on Jensen for any reason, but he couldn’t help the bout of jealousy that flared up inside him.

Sighing heavily, he leaned his head against the steering wheel, silently promising himself that he would find somebody to hook-up with later that night. He really needed to get this whole thing with Jensen out of his system.

“You’ve been reduced to stalking. Classy.”

Jared sucked in a sharp breath, accidentally pressing down on the steering wheel’s horn in his surprise at having Mike’s voice float to him from the backseat.

He would’ve laughed upon seeing Jensen raise his hand in a wave, mistaking him for one of the neighbors, if Jared hadn’t felt so mortified by the whole situation. And without glancing back at Jensen as badly as he wanted to, Jared finally drove off.

“Jesus, Mike. What the hell are you doing hiding in my backseat, man?” he asked.

“Making sure you don’t do anything else monumentally stupid. You’re following him now, Jay? Really? If you want a relationship with the guy so badly, you know what you have to do, don’t you? Go talk to him!” Mike insisted.

“It’s not that simple, Mike,” Jared muttered.

“Dammit, Jared, we’re not in high school anymore. Everything doesn’t have to have this whole ‘end of the world’ taint to it. Basically, what I’m trying to tell you is, grow the hell up!” Mike exclaimed angrily, glaring at Jared.

“I’ve been in love with the guy for fifteen years, Mike. You know that. And Jensen…he…he’s obviously moved on from our past. If you can call it that,” Jared replied, finally pulling up outside their apartment.

“Jared, please listen to me. You need to talk to him. You’ll feel better,” Mike pleaded softly.

Jared smiled brokenly at his best friend. “Now, why couldn’t you have given me that advice fifteen years ago, Mikey? Nope, now I just need to get spectacularly drunk and laid by a stranger. I’ll bounce back, man. You know I always do,” he said, winking at Mike before climbing from his car and heading into their apartment.

~*~

Maryvale, Texas  
Fall 2009

Aly met up with her best friend, Robbie Jones outside the entrance of the high school the following morning.

She smiled at him as she approached, easily looping her arm through his as they walked to Homeroom. The two of them had been best friends since kindergarten.

“Hey, Robbie. You have a good weekend?” she asked him, sliding into her desk and dropping her backpack at her feet.

“Yeah, it was pretty good. Hannah Beckman called me and we went out for pizza. So, you tell your dad or what?” Robbie asked her, raising an eyebrow in her direction.

“Did I tell my dad what?” Aly asked, a playful smirk playing over her features.

“Pick a topic. That you’re officially on the JV basketball team. You’re into Ashley Remington. Or that you’re going to find out who your other dad is without his help,” Robbie said.

“Yeah, he knows I made the team. Unfortunately, his reaction to finding out wasn’t exactly supportive. I think he’s been hoping I’d be nothing but studious all throughout high school. Ya know, like he was. I mean, learning can be fun sometimes. But I feel more at home on a basketball court. It just makes me wonder what my other dad is like. And no, of course I can’t tell my dad what I’m doing. I don’t want to hurt him even more than I already have with the whole basketball thing,” Aly insisted. She frowned for a minute as Robbie’s other suggestion fully sunk in. “What the hell do you mean I’m into Ashley Remington? I don’t even really know…I mean she’s…Oh my god. Have I been that obvious? Do you think she knows?” she asked in a hoarse whisper, heat rising to her face as she thought back on her behavior the past few weeks.

Robbie nodded in agreement. “Oh, yeah, she knows. And so does the rest of the Freshmen class,” he told her, patting her shoulder consolingly as Aly buried her face in her hands.

“What am I supposed to do now?” she moaned softly, finally looking up at Robbie.

“Tell her how you feel?” Robbie suggested, giving her an encouraging smile.

“You think it could be that simple?” Aly asked hopefully.

Robbie shrugged. “I know even less about girls than you do, Aly. So just keep doing what you’ve been doing. It seems to be working for you.”

“Great,” Aly muttered, giving Robbie an overly bright smile as she pulled her Biology textbook from her bag.

~*~

Maryvale, Texas  
Fall 2009

Ever since Aly had asked him about the father she never knew, Jensen had been thinking about Jared. Daydreaming about him almost.

He sat in his office at the Maryvale Gazette one afternoon and completely zoned out for over a half hour, wondering how Jared would’ve changed since Jensen had known him when they’d been in high school.

He looked up in alarm when he heard someone loudly clear their throat near the doorway to his office.

“Jensen, did you hear me? Time to go home, honey,” Sophia Bush, his co-worker and friend told him.

He nodded in response to her words, running a hand over his face before glancing at his computer. He cringed slightly when he noticed the article he’d been working on was no longer than a paragraph.

“Dammit,” he grumbled in annoyance.

“Never mind that. Go home, sleep it off and come back tomorrow and look at it with fresh eyes,” Sophia suggested.

“I could use a drink first,” Jensen admitted.

“Okay then. I’ll see you tomorrow, Jensen,” Sophia told him as they walked out of the newspaper office together.

As they made their way to their respective vehicles, Jensen got into his car and made his way toward McKinley Bar. He had to get Jared out of his system.

Upon entering the bar, Jensen drew up short, making his way over to the bartender slowly.

“Chad Murray?” he asked hesitantly, swallowing hard as he willed a hundred different emotions back as one of Jared’s best friends stared at him in surprise.

“Jensen? Jensen Ackles?” Chad asked with a chuckle, continuing to wipe the beer glass he held in his hands.

“Yeah. Hey, man,” Jensen replied with a forced smile as he slid onto a barstool across from Chad.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in here before. What brings you by? And more importantly, what can I get you?” Chad asked, setting the now dried glass next to several others.

“A beer’s fine. Thanks,” Jensen murmured, smiling in gratitude when Chad placed a beer bottle in front of him. He couldn’t exactly bring up Jared, could he? Not if the bar he was sitting in could be believed. Jensen remembered a conversation he and Jared had once had about their futures. Jared had told him that he and Chad were thinking about opening and running their own bar one day.

Looks like you did it, Jared. Good for you. Jensen thought to himself, sighing softly as his thoughts (as they often did) returned to Aly. He couldn’t help but wonder, especially after the conversation his daughter had tried to have with him a few days ago, if he’d done the right thing by keeping Jared out of their daughter’s life.

But it was too late to go back now. He and Aly had Tom in their lives. It was past time for them all to move forward, to stop living in the past.

“You married, Jensen?” Chad asked, nodding in the direction of Jensen’s engagement ring.

Jensen took a liberal swallow of his beer before shaking his head. “Not yet. But I am engaged,” he said with a small smile on his face.

“Congrats, man,” Chad told him. “He treats you okay? Your fiancé, I mean?”

Jensen smirked, touched by the show of concern. “Yeah, he does. So, you ever think about settling down one day?”

“Nah. I haven’t found the right woman. Besides, Mikey, Jay and I are enjoying bachelor life too much at the moment. We don’t have any reason to grow up just yet. You know what I mean, Jensen? None of us has found that one person that makes everything in life seem perfect even when it’s not,” Chad said, staring meaningfully at Jensen. “You’re luckier than most,” he murmured.

Jensen averted his gaze from Chad’s scrutinizing, watchful expression. He swallowed hard again, willing the thoughts of Jared to leave him alone.

Coming here was a mistake. He thought, taking another long swallow from the bottle in his hand.

“Right,” he finally agreed to Chad’s assessment. “Well, I better go. I’ll see you, Chad,” he said, getting up from where he sat on the barstool and making his way toward the door.

“Hey, Jensen,” Chad called after him.

With his hand on the doorknob, Jensen’s eyes closed in resignation, sighing heavily as he slowly turned back around toward the other man.

“Yeah?”

“Jared. He uh, he misses you. You think you could come back again sometime?” Chad asked, unable to keep the hope from leaking into his voice.

“Sure. I’ll be back,” Jensen reassured Chad. “And just so you know, I miss him too.”

TBC...


	2. Chapter 2

Maryvale, Texas  
Fall 2009

“Just go up and say “hi” to her, Aly,” Robbie instructed, his voice a comforting rumble as he gently pushed Aly over to where Ashley sat in the bleachers.

“Are you nuts!?” Aly squealed, turning around in Robbie’s arms and trying to push her best friend back toward center court where they’d been talking after Aly’s basketball practice had ended a few minutes earlier. “I can’t go talk to her looking like this!” she exclaimed, gesturing at her sweat drenched uniform and disheveled hair, which had been put up in a hasty ponytail prior to her leaving the locker room for practice, and now looked like a blonde, wet helmet thanks to her giving it her all during the drills she and her teammates had done.

Robbie smirked, shrugging his shoulders. “I dunno, it’d make for a stellar first impression, don’t you think?” he asked, unable to hold back his laughter.

Aly scowled at him. “I hate you. I really hate you. I hope you know that,” she grumbled.

“I don’t understand why you’re putting so much pressure on yourself. Ashley’s just a girl. You can do this. Just go talk to her,” Robbie said, giving Aly an encouraging smile. 

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because I have an image to maintain here? Being on JV I’m supposed to be popular or whatever, right? What kind of precedent would I be setting for my fellow elite if I approached my crush looking like something your cat hacked up?” Aly retorted, continuing to glare at him.

“Your dad must be so proud of you. Using all those big words in a sentence like that. But I bet he’d be disappointed you’ve taken to popularity so quickly having already resorted to stepping on us, the insignificant specks, to reach the top even faster,” Robbie said.

Aly gave him a forced, cheesy grin. “Bite me, Jones,” she muttered caustically.

“And she’s come back to roll in the dirt with the dregs of society. Welcome home, Ackles,” Robbie replied, giving her a genuine smile as he reached over and ruffled her hair.

Aly shrieked, trying her best to move out of his way, but Robbie effortlessly pulled her back toward him. She looked up at him, her features melting into a look of amused affection.

“You really miss your girl that much, Robbie?” she murmured. “I only disappeared for what, a total of thirty seconds?”

“Don’t worry. I always knew you’d return to normal. Or in your case abnormal…” he grinned broadly at her, waiting patiently for the expected shove from Aly before continuing. “Besides, today was never about us. It’s about her. And you. The both of you. Make your move already before you make the rest of us die of boredom,” Robbie said, grabbing Aly by the shoulders and turning her so she was facing the bleachers again.

“Hi, Aly,” Ashley said, mere feet from Aly, a warm smile on her face.

“Eeep!” Aly choked out, her eyes widening as she felt her mouth begin twitching as she struggled to remember how to smile.

“Relax!” Robbie growled in her ear, shoving her even closer toward Ashley.

“Um, uh, hey, yeah, no, I mean hi,” Aly stammered, her face already flushed from her workout, turned a shade darker as her eyes swept the gymnasium floor. Swallowing hard, she finally met Ashley’s gaze again. When she realized Ashley was still smiling at her, Aly drew in a sharp breath and tried again. “Hi, Ashley. Would you maybe want to go out with me sometime?”

“A date sounds nice, Aly. But actually, I was kinda hoping you were about to ask me to be your girlfriend,” Ashley admitted, giving Aly a small smile.

Aly’s eyes widened in surprise for a moment. Giving Robbie a smug grin, she quickly returned her attention to Ashley.

“Ashley, will you be my girlfriend?” she asked, unable to prevent herself from holding her breath in anticipation.

“Of course I will, Aly. I thought for sure I was going to have to resort to something drastic for you to realize how I feel,” Ashley told her.

“Oh, really? And what was that?” Aly asked, raising an eyebrow in her girlfriend’s direction, smirking at Ashley.

“This,” Ashley murmured, tilting her head upward, pressing her mouth firmly against Aly’s, kissing her breathless.

Once Ashley stepped back, breaking the kiss, Aly felt dizzy, slowly realizing she couldn’t have formed a complete, coherent sentence even if she’d wanted to. She was speechless. Until a bout of nervous giggles sprang up in the silence surrounding them.

Looking back and forth between them, Robbie grasped Ashley’s hand in his own, shaking it enthusiastically.

“Thanks for that, Ashley. I’ve been looking for a way to get Aly to stop talking for years. I really appreciate this.”

Aly rolled her eyes, warning him nonverbally that he was treading dangerous waters by stepping hard on his foot. She was relieved however to discover that her giggle fit had stopped. As annoying as Robbie could be sometimes, she had to admit she couldn’t have asked for a better best friend.

Ashley shook her head in amusement, smiling indulgently at Robbie before returning her attention to Aly. “So, what’re we going to do now?”

“Let me get showered and changed real quick and then we can hang out after,” Aly suggested. “Sound good, Robbie?” she continued, directing her question at her best friend.

Robbie gently squeezed Aly’s shoulder. “I appreciate you wanting to include me, but don’t you think you and Ashley should spend some time alone together first?”

Aly swallowed hard, paling at his words. “But what if I freeze up again?” she whispered in his ear.

“You’ll be fine, Aly. But hey, if you do run into a problem I could always meet you at your house and I could be there for moral support when you’re introducing Ashley to your dad and Tom,” Robbie suggested.

Aly gulped. “You know what? You’re right. I’ll be fine,” she insisted, giving him a broad smile. The thought of stumbling her way through a conversation with Ashley didn’t seem so bad in contrast to the prospect of introducing her girlfriend to her father.

“That’s what I thought. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Robbie promised, laughing as he left the gym.

Aly’s gaze darted quickly over Ashley who still stood in front of her. She smiled hesitantly as she took Ashley’s hand in her own.

“Hi,” Ashley said, giving Aly a small smile.

“Hi,” Aly replied, returning the smile before she leaned forward and gently brushed her lips against Ashley’s head. “Let’s go, Ash,” she murmured softly, leading her girlfriend through the gym and toward the locker rooms. 

Aly couldn’t help the feeling that her life was finally coming together that swelled inside her, making her feel incredibly happy. Now if only she could find the man who, one day, she’d hopefully get to call Papa.

~*~

Maryvale, Texas  
Fall 2009

“So do you want to tell him or should I?” Mike demanded of Jared as he dribbled the ball up the court. “God, you suck at this game. Weren’t you the starting forward back in high school or something like that, Jay? If I’d known basketball was this easy I wouldn’t have gone out for track,” he taunted, trying to get a rise out of Jared by talking smack.

“Shut up,” Jared grumbled, effortlessly grabbing the ball away from Mike and going in for an easy lay-up. “And who the hell are you talking about? Tell who what?” he demanded.

“Chad, you idiot. Are you going to tell him about what you’ve been doing with your free time lately?” Mike insisted, walking back over to where Chad sat on the blacktop of the elementary school basketball court.

“Uh oh. What the hell’s going on?” Chad asked, looking back and forth between his friends.

Jared, glaring at Mike, made his way over to where his friends sat, ignoring the ball that rolled over the blacktop, hitting the back of his foot as it finally stopped moving.

“Jared here has been following Jensen around town,” Mike informed Chad, looking at Jared pointedly.

“Shut up, Mike!” Jared snapped. Chad raised his eyebrows in surprise upon hearing Mike’s comment.

“You told Jay that he doesn’t need to resort to creepy stalker tactics, right? That all he needs to do is talk to Jensen like a normal human being?”

“Yeah, I did, Chad. He didn’t seem to like that idea all that much though,” Mike replied with a smirk.

“Screw you both. It’s complicated!” Jared snarled.

Mike rolled his eyes, snorting. “Isn’t it always?”

“Jared, it doesn’t have to be this hard. Jensen was just in the…” Chad protested.

“No, Chad, I don’t want to hear it! Jensen doesn’t want me. And I’ve been an idiot to think he ever will,” Jared insisted, interrupting his friend before stalking off the blacktop and heading back to his car.

~*~

Austin, Texas  
Spring 2013

“Jared, baby, we don’t have to do this today if you don’t want to. They’ll still be here and they’ll still be miserable tomorrow,” Jensen murmured, staring at his husband warily as Jared drove through the long, winding driveway, decorated on either side by large, leafy trees.

Jared had never brought Jensen here, to visit his father and step-mother, but during the three years they’d been married, his husband had given Jensen plenty to think about. And with the few, brief conversations they’d had, and the more Jensen learned about Jared’s parents the less he liked them, even though he’d never officially met them.

Jared’s jaw ticked slightly at Jensen’s words. His eyes narrowed at the edges when the large, formidable home came into view. The sun was beating down on the grounds, illuminating the areas of the house not shaded by trees, giving it the illusion of a happy home.

Pulling up just outside the house, Jared quickly cut the engine to his truck, his gaze unwavering from the front door as he heaved a heavy sigh, finally turning his attention to Jensen.

“Jen, if you don’t want to be here I understand. I mean, Aly’s graduation party starts in less than two hours. I know you’d rather be at home with her and our friends and family celebrating,” Jared insisted, staring at Jensen imploringly.

“You’re right, I would,” Jensen freely admitted. “But Aly understands why we both need to be here. If I was at home right now I’d be worried sick about you, and I wouldn’t be able to enjoy Aly’s party anyway. I know our kids are safe. I’m more concerned about you at the moment,” he replied.

Jared’s eyes fluttered closed and he gave Jensen a forced smile.

“I’m glad you’re here with me, darlin’,” he whispered hoarsely.

“I know, honey. So you want to go do this so we can get back home?” Jensen asked softly.

Jared nodded silently at Jensen’s words. And he quickly climbed from the truck, rounding the vehicle to meet Jensen on the other side.

Jensen slipped his hand into Jared’s, gently squeezing his husband’s hand as they approached the front door.

After a doorbell echoed throughout the expansive house a woman in her mid-forties answered the door.

“Hello. How may I… Jared?” she asked with a soft gasp, her eyes widening once she recognized Jared.

Jensen’s eyes automatically drifted up over his husband’s features as he felt Jared’s hold on his hand tighten.

“Hello, Catherine. Is my father home?” Jared asked woodenly. All the light, exuberance and happiness that Jared normally exuded…everything that Jensen had fallen in love with when it came to his husband…was just gone. And it scared the hell out of him.

Without bothering to answer her step-son, Catherine just turned back into the house and began leading them past several rooms before they entered a room that Jensen could only describe as a combination study and trophy room. There were deer heads mounted on the wall. And by the expansive desk with papers scattered all over it, it was quickly apparent to Jensen that Jared’s father spent a lot of his time working in this room.

Daniel Padalecki had no paternal warmth, at least none that Jensen could witness upon looking at the man in front of him. It broke Jensen’s heart knowing that Jared had spent even one day in an environment like this after his mother had died, let alone several years prior to his aunt and uncle moving him to Maryvale to live with them during high school. 

He wanted to yell, scream, do something, anything to get the man in front of him to pay attention to his son. To really see the man Jared had become without help from him. But Jensen knew this was Jared’s fight. He was there to lend moral and emotional support if and when Jared needed him to.

Jared silently led Jensen over to two somewhat comfortable looking armchairs in the corner of the room before finally turning his gaze on his father who had yet to look at him.

Leaning toward Jensen, Jared’s lips brushed Jensen’s temple. He gave Jensen’s fingers a final, gentle squeeze, getting to his feet again and making his way over to his father.

“Daddy, I know you haven’t wanted anything to do with me for the past twenty years. And that’s…whatever. I’m over it. But do you really want to miss out on the opportunity of knowing your grandchildren? Aly’s graduating from high school next week, and we’re having a party for her today to celebrate. I know she’d love it if you’d come. And Ethan, he already loves you from what little we’ve told him about you,” Jared said.

Daniel finally looked up from his workspace, looking right at Jared. “I have no son, so how do you expect me to believe I have grandchildren?”

Jensen saw Jared’s back muscles tense up upon hearing his father essentially tell him that he was nothing. His own jaw tightened in anger and he’d almost gotten to his feet to tell Daniel exactly what he thought of him when Jared started talking.

“Really? That’s what game you want to play? It’s been twenty years, Daddy! It sucks that Mama died. It does. But you taking your anger and grief over it out on me won’t change anything. Thanks to you I had horrible self-worth for years. I felt like I was nothing. I wasn’t going anywhere in life so why the hell bother? Why try to exceed at anything? I was just living down to expectations by not getting good grades or a scholarship. It wasn’t until I met Jensen that I started to realize I could be whatever the hell I wanted in life. Thanks to his influence, our friends, my kids, I feel like I’ve become a man Mama would’ve been proud of. Unfortunately, I don’t think we can say the same for you,” Jared told Daniel, glaring heatedly at his father the longer he spoke. His expression softened considerably when he looked over at Jensen. “Let’s go, darlin’,” he murmured, holding out his hand for Jensen to take.

Jensen gave his husband a soft smile, nodding. “All right, honey. Just give me a minute,” he replied, turning his attention to Daniel. “Mr. Padalecki, I know we haven’t been formerly introduced, but I’m Jensen, Jared’s husband. May I speak to you for a moment?”

Daniel looked up from his work. “Please, call me Daniel,” he insisted, giving Jensen a ‘hurry it along’ motion with his hand. Jensen for his part was strongly reminded of a much younger version of Jared when the two of them had first begun Jared’s tutoring sessions. The thought that Jared was anything remotely like the insensitive, uncaring man sitting in front of him left Jensen feeling nauseated.

“Daniel then,” Jensen allowed. “I realize we don’t know each other all that well yet, but something both Jared and our daughter can attest to is how protective I am when it comes to the people I love. And taking into consideration that we don’t know each other I don’t have any problem telling you that I think you’re a goddamned bastard. You’re very lucky you’re Jared’s father because if it were up to me I wouldn’t let you anywhere near my children. After the way you treated Jared after he’d just lost his mother? You don’t deserve anything he’d be willing to give you. And he deserves much more than whatever you would want to part with. Trust me when I say he’ll get it too. But not from you. Rot in hell,” he growled, once again returning his attention to Jared. “Okay, baby, we can go.” Taking Jared’s hand in his own, he led them out of his husband’s childhood home.

Once they reached Jared’s truck, Jared silently got into the cab, waited for Jensen to climb into the passenger seat and began driving. The rumble of the engine was the only sound that disrupted the otherwise idyllic ride.

After a while on the road Jared suddenly swerved the cab of the truck, pulling them into the parking lot of a motel. And without warning he jumped out of the cab, headed into the front office and came out a few minutes later with a set of keys in his hand.

Warily, Jensen climbed from the passenger side of the truck and followed after his husband into the motel room.

“Jay? What’s wrong, honey?” he asked softly, sitting down on the bed in the middle of the room, watching Jared pace the length of the room over and over. After he’d completed pacing the room two more times, Jensen grabbed his hand and gently pulled him onto the bed.

They wrapped around one another, Jared’s breath warm against Jensen’s neck. Jensen ran his hand along Jared’s back in soothing circles as the realization that his husband was crying overwhelmed him. “Jared, he’s not worth it. You were right when you told him you became the man your mama would be proud of. You run your own bar. You support and love our friends. And our kids are growing every day because of things you’re teaching them. And let’s not forget what a great choice you made selecting a life partner,” he implored, his voice taking on a teasing nature.

Jared snorted, burying his face further against Jensen’s neck, his lips brushing along the exposed skin.

“I love you, Jen. So damn much, baby,” he murmured, seeking out Jensen’s mouth. They kissed languidly for several minutes. Jared was soon hovering over Jensen, their kisses deepening. In a matter of minutes Jared had whipped his t-shirt over his head and reached out to help Jensen remove his.

“Slow down a minute, sweetheart. How much longer do we have to be on the road before we get home?” Jensen asked.

“About forty five minutes give or take,” Jared replied. “What?” he asked, chuckling when he caught sight of Jensen’s widening eyes. “You know I speed when I get pissed. You want to get going?”

“Forty five minutes?” Jensen repeated, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah, forty five minutes,” Jared agreed with a nod, kissing the side of Jensen’s mouth.

“Well, in that case, come here,” Jensen said, moving his husband even closer. Jared chuckled, his nose bumping against Jensen’s as they began kissing again with fervor.

Jared’s dad may have been an ass but Jensen knew that with time and help from him, their kids and their friends, Jared would be able to put this day behind him and focus solely on the good things that were happening in his life.

When the two of them finished making love, Jensen smiled softly as he felt Jared gather him in his arms. Turning his body so he was facing his husband again, Jensen’s lips gently brushed Jared’s shoulder as he settled once again into his husband’s embrace.

“I love you, Jared,” he murmured, giving Jared a sleepy smile.

“I know you do, Jensen. And it helps me every day. It makes me stronger. I love you too,” Jared replied softly.

“So another ten minutes here then we head home?” Jensen suggested.

“Home. Sounds good. Sounds really good,” Jared readily agreed, a broad grin on his face.

Jensen mumbled his agreement before falling asleep, Jared soon following his lead.

THE END


End file.
